Abstract |
The Phase I study, which was a national survey of all licensed and registered medical users of radionuclides, required the compilation of a comprehensive registry of physicians using radionuclides for medical purposes, and the development of a survey questionnaire. The survey questionnaire was designed to determine a physician's usage of radionuclides in diagnostic, therapeutic, and research procedures in 1966. The diagnostic procedures included function studies (in vitro and in vivo), and scanning studies. The therapeutic procedures included radiopharmaceutical therapy, brachytherapy, and teletherapy. In the Phase II study, the practice of diagnostic nuclear medicine was described with particular emphasis on those measures that minimize patient radiation exposure. A statistical approach using a sampling of practitioners as the data source was employed. A survey questionnaire was designed to obtain data on radiopharmaceutical handling, patient safeguards, and instrument calibration practices. (Author) |